After all the speculation leading up to the ceremony, Steve Perry did not sing with Journey. In his acceptance speech, he did thank current vocalist Arnel Pineda for "singing his heart out." The two singers met for the first time backstage and Pineda posted a picture of them on Instagram. Perry listed his former bandmates and said, “Any singer would give his ass” to be backed by such musicians. He also referred to his long absence from the music scene and thanked the band's fans.
Guitarist Neal Schon thanked Perry for being “one in a million” and dedicated the band’s performance of “Lights” to him. Former keyboardist Gregg Rolie, who is already in Hall as a member of Santana, said “what a trip it’s been.” Current keyboardist Jonathan Cain was the first of two inductees (Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam being the other) to mention the Chicago Cubs. Cain joked that the Cubs win in the World Series was the only reason Journey finally got elected.
Journey, without Steve Perry, did “Lights” with 1970s-era members Rolie and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. They also performed "Separate Ways (World Apart)" and "Don't Stop Believin'."
Train frontman Pat Monahan did Journey's induction and said he moved to San Francisco because of “Lights.” He called Journey “the heart of San Francisco music.”